Taming the Darkness
by reptilia28
Summary: When the Shadowed One finds out about a mysterious being on a distant island, he goes to investigate. He soon finds out that you have to pay a heavy price if you wish to tame the Darkness. Dark Hunter fic, Darkness centric. DISCONTINUED
1. Prologue

Lately, I've been flipping through the story sections of BZPower, as well as this site, and have found a scarcity in stories focusing on the Dark Hunters, and almost none of them mention my personal favorite, Darkness, in any way, shape or form. To that end, I've decided to make my own story about Darkness, leading from his recruitment into the Dark Hunters all the way down to when he got into his current position. As my BIONICLE fics never seem to gain much in the way of popularity, I'm begging you, PLEASE review this! As long as it's not a flame, I don't really care what you have to say about it, just PLEASE say something!

The only part of this story that I own are the characters of Darkness and Shriek and this plot. Everything else belongs to LEGO.

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PROLOGUE

Thick tree roots creaked and mud shifted as a large figure stepped onto them. Truth be told, this figure would rather be anywhere than here, but he had orders, and to defy them would mean a slow and painful death. That was something that he did not want.

Several weeks before, the Shadowed One, leader of the infamous Dark Hunters, had recieved an anonymous letter saying that there was a Brotherhood of Makuta laboratory situated on some backwater island that could potentially contain some rather interesting technology. Apparently, this was enough to pique the dark leader's interest, for he sent an agent to this island to investigate.

Now Shriek, the unfortunate individual given this assignment, was squelching his way through a particularly muddy part of a vast forest that took up almost half of the island. When Shriek had arrived there nearly two weeks previous, all he had found was a small island of barely one hundred Matoran. These particularly primitive Matoran denied any knowledge of a laboratory, but warned Shriek not to go into the forest. According to them, there was some mysterious monster that killed anyone who dared to enter its territory. Of course, Shriek simply dismissed it as silly superstition and pressed on anyway. Two weeks later, all Shriek had found were trees, mud pits and insects. No lab, no new technology, and no terrible monster.

Shriek managed to drag himself out of the latest mud hole and onto solid ground again, and sat down on a fallen tree to scrape the mud off of his feet. A loud chittering caught Shriek's attention, and the Dark Hunter looked up to see a Venom Flyer perched on a tree branch with a flat piece of stone in its mandibles, a sign that it was time to write up his next report. Shriek sighed as he reached up and plucked the stone from the creature. He pulled out a small rod-shaped device and pushed a button on the end, making one end glow and hum with energy, before using it to burn symbols onto the stone as he make his report.

"I don't know why the Shadowed One is keeping such a close eye on me," Shriek grumbled as he wrote his report. "I've never tried to slight him, I'm relatively honest, I don't know why he's making such a big fuss over it. It's not like I'm stupid enough to try to sneak a piece of the loot for myself." Finishing his report, he slid his writing tool back into its compartment, and was about to hand the stone back to the Venom Flyer when he heard a faint rustling nearby. Setting down the report and picking up his weapon, Shriek looked around above him, but the trees were so thick that he could hardly see at all. Shriek heard a twig snap behind him, and he instinctively whirled around and fired his weapon, but struck nothing.

"Come out!" Shriek shouted defiantly, although anyone listening could detect the fear in his voice. He slowly backed up until he could feel the solid form of a tree trunk pressing against his back. Shriek turned his head left and right, whimpering nervously. Suddenly, he felt something grab his head and tug him up into the air. Shriek was so surprised that he dropped his weapon. Disarmed, Shriek could only scream in panic, and then gurgle quietly as he felt something constricting around his throat, cutting off his oxygen supply, until finally, his eyes flickered darkly and his heartlight faded.

Shriek's murderer through the limp corpse aside, and jumped onto the ground, looking at the stone report still lying on the fallen trunk, along with the Venom Flyer to deliver it. Picking it up, the shadowy figure flipped the stone over and began scratching words onto the surface.

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The Shadowed One tapped his talons on the armrest of his throne impatiently while waiting for Shriek's report to return. The Dark Hunter ruler was eager to obtain new technology that the Brotherhood may have been working on, and was displeased at his servant's lack of progress.

"There is a message for you, my lord," a random Dark Hunter flunky groveled, presenting a stone tablet with writing on it. Snatching it away and dismissing the flunky, the Shadowed One read what it said. It was Shriek's report, again saying how he had found nothing but mud and bugs, and was requesting that they dismiss this mission as a wild Gukko chase, but this one was different. At the bottom, there was an arrow scratched onto the stone, indicating that he should flip it over. The Shadowed One complied, and was greeted by a new message. It read:

_I have killed your messenger. Come to my island if you wish to avenge him_.

The Shadowed One couldn't care less about the person who died, but someone had dared to knowingly murder a Dark Hunter, and that was an offense that he could never forgive.

The Shadowed One decided that it was time to take a little trip.

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So…whatcha think?

Don't forget to read and review!


	2. Chapter 1

Four review...eh, it's better than nothing.

I don't own BIONICLE in general. I only own Darkness, any unofficial Dark Hunters and the plot.

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Chapter 1

The waves lapped against the boat as it drifted onto the beach. One of the Dark Hunters that the Shadowed One had brought with him jumped out and pulled the boat onto the shore, and its occupants climbed out of it. Leering at his surroundings contemptuously, the Shadowed One stomped towards the small Matoran village near the beach, his underlings following him obediently.

When the team of Dark Hunters arrived at the village to find the diminutive Matoran partaking in a tribal ritual.

"You," the Shadowed One said, pointing a steely talon at a nearby Matoran. "Some time ago, one of my emissaries came to these parts. Where did he go?"

"He went into the forest, sir," the frightened Matoran said, pointing a trembling finger at a large forest, separated from the village by a crude bamboo wall along the village border. "Nearly a moon rise ago, the monster within the forest returned your companion. Please, stranger, I implore you, leave this place, before you suffer the same fate," the Matoran begged.

"I'll take my chances," the Shadowed One sneered as he walked up to the wall, blasting a hole in it with his laser vision. When he stepped through his makeshift opening, he was greeted by the decapitated head of Shriek, hanging from a vine in front of him, a piece of wood with writing on it hanging from its jaw. Covering his mouth and nose to protect his lungs from the stench of rotting flesh, the Shadowed One pulled off the piece of wood and read the message scratched onto its surface.

_Follow the trail of crumbs, and you will find that which you seek_, it read mockingly. Scowling, the Shadowed One tossed the message aside and stomped deeper into the dense forest followed by his lackeys. After an hour of aimless walking, they found a severed hand pinned to a tree with a large metal spike, pointing deeper into the forest. Wrinkling his nose in disgust at the hand, the Shadowed One nevertheless followed the direction that it indicated.

For hours, the band of Dark Hunters followed the trail of armor and eviscerated body parts forming a path to their destination that their target had so graciously provided them. They had been wandering for so long that the sun had set, but the forest was so thick that they had barely noticed. As the sun rose the next day, the Dark Hunters had finally found the end of the trail in the form of Shriek's weapon hanging from a vine in front of the mouth of a large cave. Sneering, the Shadowed One cut the vine with his staff; the weapon was immediately snatched by an eager Dark Hunter. Their weapons armed, the band of hunters cautiously walked into the dark cave.

For several minutes, the Dark Hunters simply shuffled blindly in the inky blackness, the only source of light far behind them. However, soon the Shadowed One felt the ground beneath his feet change from stone and dirt to cold, stiff metal. With a dull bang, several long glass tubes flickered with light, illuminating the room and all the Dark Hunters gasped at the sight before them.

Indeed, there was a Brotherhood laboratory on the island, but something had obviously gone horribly wrong. Beakers where shattered, equipment was destroyed, and there were slash marks everywhere on the walls. All horizontal surfaces were covered in a layer of dust, as if they had sat idle for years.

"Boss, look at this," one of the Dark Hunters said, waving the Shadowed One over to his position. The Dark Hunter leader walked forward and saw the dusty armor of what was once a Makuta. There were several slash marks that cut through the armor entirely, and entire sections of the chest armor were torn off violently. Near the body was a shattered mound of metal that the Shadowed One presumed was once the Makuta's mask. The Shadowed One was slightly jealous that there was something on the island that could kill a Makuta with such sheer brutality, and while he would never admit to his underlings, slightly frightened as well.

Suddenly, the lights shut off with a bang, prompting the less disciplined Dark Hunters to scream in fright. Holding their weapons nervously, they all swiveled their heads to and fro, trying to pierce the suffocating darkness. A low, bestial growl seemed to emanate from all around them, and one of the Dark Hunters instinctively fired his weapon, striking only the wall.

One hunter whimpered nervously as he swung his weapon wildly, his throat tightening in fear. He sensed something near him, but before he could react, a pair of clawed hands grabbed him by the head and pulled him up screaming. The other Dark Hunters immediately fired in his direction, and the screaming ceased. Another hunter started backing up fearfully, but a pair of claws clutched his head and twisted, his neck breaking with a wet snap.

"Forget this, I'm getting out of here!" the final Dark Hunter to accompany the Shadowed One shouted frightfully and tried to run out of the room. He ran, but mere seconds later, he felt a pair of blades slam into his chest, piercing him completely. The Dark Hunter could do nothing but gurgle weakly as he felt his life slipping away.

The Shadowed One stood nervously as he heard the last of his escorts expiring, leaving him utterly alone in the abyssal room.

"You are the one who sent me the message," the Shadowed One said confidently into the void. "What is your name, stranger?" The Shadowed One heard a bestial growling, and then he saw two blood-red eyes piercing the gloom in front of him.

"Name?" the creature hissed in a cold, calm tone that sent chills up the Shadowed One's spine. "I have no name. But the people here call me the Darkness."

"So, Darkness, what is your story?" the Shadowed One asked, putting on a display of bravado.

"Why don't you tell me?" Darkness replied, his red eyes moving across the room.

"I think that once upon a time, you were something else," the Shadowed One said, remembering the scene he saw while the lights were active. "Maybe a Matoran, maybe something different. You were captured by the Brotherhood of Makuta, and experimented on. You broke free, and you killed the Makuta who used you in retaliation." Darkness chuckled maliciously as he moved behind the Shadowed One.

"You weave an interesting tale," Darkness complimented. "Now what are you doing here?" he demanded.

"I was here to kill you for slaying one of my employees, but since I'm here, how about I offer you a position within the ranks of the Dark Hunters?" the Shadowed One offered. Darkness was silent for several tense moments before he responded.

"What do you offer if I should accept your invitation?" Darkness inquired curiously.

"Wealth, power, fame," the Shadowed One replied, shrugging. He had expected Darkness to accept immediately upon hearing his offer. What he was not expecting was for Darkness to laugh at him.

"Wealth, power and fame? That is what you have to offer?" Darkness asked incredulously. "I have no need for such things. Why would I want wealth when I have all that I will ever need? Why would I need power when I already rule this island? Why would I need fame when the people here tremble at the mere thought of me? Now tell me..." he trailed off, and the Shadowed One gasped slightly as he felt the tip of a blade digging into his back and another blade pressed against his throat, "...what do you have to offer me?" Darkness hissed into his ear.

"How about I promise that on any missions I send you on, you are permitted to kill as many as you wish as long as you accomplish the original job?" the Shadowed One offered desperately. The Shadowed One remained tense as Darkness did not reply for nearly a minute, but he finally removed the blades. A pair of large claws wrapped around the Shadowed One's shoulders and turned him around.

"I will consider your proposal," Darkness whispered into the Shadowed One's ear. "Walk in this direction to exit the cave. We will speak of this more when you return to your ship," he continued, giving the Shadowed One a gentle nudge forward.

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Clearly, Darkness is not a very nice guy. But I guess you can't if you want to get into the Dark Hunters.

Don't forget to read and review!


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